The brand strategy and visual identity of the Ranua municipality were updated in close collaboration with the representatives of Ranua. The brand core was established through workshops and studies. It was distilled into a brand story and the main message Wild & Free (Kesyttämätön)

01 Project overview

The project started with participatory planning. While the brand strategy was being developed, the need for an updated visual identity was also recognized. The new visual identity was a natural continuation of the outstanding main message. The brand strategy was developed in collaboration with Kaltio Creative.

Category/Industry: Public sector & Municipality brand

Services: Brand Strategy, Visual identity, Concept design

Year: 2022

02 Challenge

Ranua is a village in Southern Lapland, established on bravery and cloudberries. These characteristics needed to be clarified and updated for communications, as the new administrative strategy had recognized important factors where success was important. Ranua needs to attract new residents and businesses as well as create attention as an interesting destination for international travelers. This was the first brand strategy for the municipality.

03 Strategy

Research:

A launch workshop was arranged for stakeholders to form a shared understanding of the objectives. Local voices and experiences were mapped with a survey. The results formed the backbone of the brand workshop.

Creative work and design: 

Diverse background information and active participation ensured a great starting point for the creative work. The brand strategy was developed in collaboration with Kaltio Creative.

Visual identity: 

The new brand strategy had a different tone of voice and main message compared to earlier messaging about Ranua, so the new brand strategy was accompanied by an updated visual identity. The visual identity was strongly rooted in the brand strategy.

Concept design:

The collaboration continued with helping Business Ranua on their Made in Ranua initiative.

04 Creative Solution

The main message of Ranua municipality is now Wild & Free. It’s backed by a visual identity that depicts the roots which ground the residents of Ranua to the local soil while also telling the story of the free-spirited, courageous people who live and thrive in one of the cleanest corners of the world.

The visual identity also updated the design practices at Ranua municipality. Official communication channels and regulations for the public sector were considered equally with modern channels, making the elements easy to use in various instances.

05 Implementation

When working on their first brand strategy, the stakeholders need to make decisions on topics and themes that might be new to them. Committed participation, active communication and mutual trust were key elements for the success of this project.

The brand strategy was delivered as a brand book where different building blocks for the brand were introduced:

• Vision and values
• Target groups 
• Positioning and strengths 
• Brand promise and image
• Main message
• Tone of voice 
• Brand story

The visual identity was delivered as visual guidelines, which included:

• New logo 
• Graphic elements
• Colour palette
• Typography
• Examples of applications

TEAM

Project Lead / Account Manager: Miikka Niemi
Brand strategist: Katariina Imporanta (Kaltio Creative)
Art Director & Lead Designer: Toni Rantanen
Client: Mikko Pöykkö
Client: Perttu Ruokangas